Historic Savannah

Wake up in Savannah GA with no fog, and only five hours of driving ahead of me.  That means if I get my butt out of bed quickly, I can take in a trolley tour.  A number of trolleys (many of them refurbished from days gone by) tour the city driven by knowledgeable guides, following specific routes and stopping at specific points, and they run at 15 minute intervals.  You can hop on and off, take in the sights, shop in the market, take photos, have lunch, then jump back on the next one and continue the tour.  Fabulous, and reasonably priced.

The tour I take is Old Town Trolley Tours, for two reasons.  The first is that they have a nifty GPS tracker system, just scan the QR code on the tour map you get, and it connects you with a schedule for the next trolley at your location, even gives you updated changes to the route.  This was important today as the City Market got blocked off for traffic for this evening's New Year's Eve festivities, and the tour route changed by a block or two.  The second reason is that they also operate tours in a number of other cities, many of which I would love to visit some day (and almost did on this trip).

The tour guides are very entertaining, and provide great details about this very old city with a rich history.  Rich for sure.  Historical, wow.  And I finally get some decent photos of some of the historical and Victorian homes of the south (note that all of these are SOOTC).

  

  

There are so many other wonderful pieces of the city, and if it wasn't for the cars, it might seem like you were stepping back in time, with the brick roads, cobblestone streets, old cotton warehouses, markets, and parks.

      

   

After a light lunch on a patio (how did I manage to find a patio table?) on the riverfront, Blackened Tuna Bites with a chipotle sauce and avacado mash, I finish the tour and fire up the GPS to take me to Winston-Salem, NC.

The first leg of the journey takes me over a very high, very long suspension bridge - of course I can't grab pictures because I'm driving - that is gorgeous.  Here's a stock photo from waymarking.com to give you an idea of what it was like:



Once on the other side, I find that I am no longer in Georgia, but in South Carolina.  Thank goodness I bought this GPS - it is talking me through the entire trip.  If I'm hungry, I ask it for restaurants, it remembers the ones I choose for faster navigation later, and tells me important things like to slow down in school zones.  It shows me little icons where gas stations are, including what brand (if it knows it).  Love it.

The drive is easy all the way to Davidson, NC, just north of Charlotte.  There is a large lit sign by the highway indicating an accident ahead at exit 30 that is blocking both lanes.  Traffic slows to a crawl a couple of miles later, and after about 20 minutes, a tow truck and ambulance passing on the right, and no change to the crawling pace, my trusty GPS suddenly announces that I-77 has been closed and that it was calculating a new route for me.  Love it.  So I inch across to the right lane and take the next exit (which is before the accident), and little Miss GPS guides me around Davidson to the second exit after the accident and I'm on my way.  I tried giving the GPS a high-five but it just kind of bobbed on it's little stand.

Arrive in Winston-Salem, and it's much bigger than I expected.  There's a very tall building with a rounded shape on top that is brightly lit.  It will be interesting to find out what it is (Wells Fargo Center).  The hotel that I booked is really a conference center, The Hawthorne, and it's quite nice.  After the last couple of nights, my fondest hope is that I get decent wi-fi,  My wish comes true when I see that the WAP unit is attached to the ceiling in the hall - right above my room door.  Wonders never cease.

Tomorrow is a long drive up to Grove City, PA, and tonight is New Year's Eve.  Tomorrow is the beginning of a New Year, one which promises to bring many wonderful opportunities.  I hope that I am able to see them all, and grab all of them and make the most of each one.  I hope that more travel is in the future, and more photography, and more precious time with children and grandchildren, family, friends, love and life.  

Fried Green Tomatoes

After an awesome night's sleep, I awoke to... wait for it.. pick your jaw up from the floor after reading this...  Fog.  No shit.  Couldn't see much out the window, and had really hoped to go for one last walk on the beach.  However, it might be gone by the time I'm dressed and ready to go, so a quick shower and pack up (have to leave today :(  ), yup, the fog has lifted.  It's still very hazy out, although it has been since I've arrived.  After a couple of miles, a few more pretty blue jellyfish, some sand and surf between the toes, and feeling enough warm sun and breeze and water to hopefully last a few months, I head back to the hotel and check out.

First stop is... Starbucks.  Since I "lost" (ahem) my Miami Beach Starbucks mug, hopefully I can get a Daytona Beach one.  But no luck.  They are even sold out of the Florida ones, and never made a Daytona one.  That's ok, I can at least get a good cup of coffee, then it's off to find the Daytona International Speedway.  Ever since taking the course to become a race marshall (the people that wave the flags at races), I've thought it would be cool to see what a "real" world-class racetrack is like.  I was completely unprepared.  The sheer size of the place is something that you can't imagine until you see it.

It takes almost 20 minutes to drive on the ring road that runs around the perimeter.  You can hear the cars whining as drivers practise (I guess), and although it's very difficult to find a place to stop and get a photo, I manage to get a couple that at least (although not very photographically interesting) show sort of how big it is.  Unfortunately, due to a very slow connection here this evening, I will have to upload the pics later.  Although I missed the morning tour by about an hour, I find the gift shop, and need to find a few trinkets for my daughter, husband and grandkids.  Val and Chad are huge race fans, so this will be great.  

Next, off to Savannah, GA.  On the way south, I had skipped this in the hopes of getting to the Beach early enough to have dinner.  This time, I'll stay for a while and hopefully catch a bit of the historic area.  The traffic isn't nearly as crazy coming north along I-95 as it was (and is) southbound.  Nice, makes for a much easier drive.

Hitting Savannah before 4 p.m. means I can chill out a bit, figure out where I'm at, and book my next two nights hotel, which could be just as tricky as Christmas even and Christmas Day/night. Check the weather, which so far is holding at no more snow and ice for a couple of days at least.  Check the driving times and hotel availability, and it looks like tomorrow will be Winston-Salem, NC, about a five hour drive.  New Year's Day is probably a good day to just drive, so my next stop after that will be Grove City, PA so I can do a bit of shopping at the outlet mall on Saturday morning before heading home (a four-hour drive).

Anyway, now it's time for dinner.  My friend Myra has recommended two places that she and her husband love when they come to Savannah, the Olde Pink House, and Pirate House Restaurant.  However, neither have any reservations available.  So I check the hotel lobby for flyers, and find a couple that seem like they have good food, reasonably priced, take walk-ins, and are casual.  Perfect.  My trusty GPS gets me to the riverfront, and I'm already excited to come back tomorrow for a trolley tour.

The restaurant I pick is Savannah River House, which seemed to have a fairly extensive menu and lots of southern food (when in Rome...)  I'm really getting to like this southern food, maybe a bit too much.  The drink of the area is the Chatham Artillery Punch.  Which is pretty much what it sounds like.  And I get to take the glass home - like I needed another brandy snifter?  Appetizer is Fried Green Tomatoes, which I've never had before because frankly, it sounds kinda yucky.   But here they are not super greasy, and are served with a paella onion relish and goat cheese - and I'm hooked.  Entree is Pecan Bourbon Salmon, served on a bed of sweet potato mash over sauteed collard greens.  Sooooo yummy!

After that it's time for a walk.  The streets are full of happy people, and live music drifts from a couple of restaurants and bars.  The streets themselves are cobblestone or brick, and you can see the old buildings that are now the eating establishments and stores are very old.  The streets come down to the riverfront down very steep hills, and there are long steep stairs for those brave enough to walk back up.  Hopefully I'll get some good pictures tomorrow.

Fog and rain - better than snow!

Started the day with an odometer reading of 313969.  Umm, "my" numbers are 1, 3, 6, and 9.  Wonder what this day will bring!

When I first wake up and check the weather, Harrisonburg is getting a "Dense fog advisory", but I look out the window, and the sun is out, so it can't be that bad.  5 minutes later, I understand, because I can no longer see the end of the parking lot.  Better be on my way and take it easy.

In the hopes that the fog will clear, I opt to take Highway 11 down through the Shenandoah Valley, rather than the busy interstate that runs parallel.  It might be possible to stop and take some pictures?  However, the fog only lifts a little ways, and doesn't provide any interesting fog, just haze and of course when it clears a little, the shoulders of the road are too narrow to pull over.  I really must come back down here again some time though, because there are signs everywhere for interesting things to see and do, like caverns and historical landmarks and antique shops....

It strikes me that I am driving through the Bible belt on Christmas Day when I pass by a beautiful country home with a life-size nativity scene on the front lawn.  I snicker when I see the next house adorned by a much larger-than-life-size inflatable dachshund in a Santa suit on the front lawn.  Seriously.  Or maybe not so seriously...  The roadside signs identifying points and locations of historic interest are also intriguing, although many of the references are to events with which I am unfamiliar.  One or two jump out, such as the site of Sheridan's last raid, and the Original African-American Cemetery (no stones are visible from the road however).

Finally, as I approach the point where Hwy 11 will merge with the interstate, I start seeing signs towards a village called Natural Bridge.  I have to wonder if there is indeed a bridge formed by nature in some way, thus the name.  Cool, the hwy actually passes right through there, and the fog has mostly cleared!  And there is a large building with a huge parking lot, boldly announcing the Natural Bridge Park.  So of course, pull in and get out to read the plaque and see what I can see from the parking lot (nothing).  As I'm reading, I hear a vehicle pull up beside me, and a gentle voice with a dontcha-just-love-southern-drawls-kinda-drawl saying "Hi there!".  A kindly gentleman explains that there will be admission to the site in about 20-30 minutes, and he highly recommends that I stay.  He suggests I go over to the historic hotel and get a complimentary coffee while I wait, convinced it will be worth my time to hang around.  What the heck, it's a chance to stretch my legs and maybe get some cool pictures.  Here are a few, please note these are not the best ones photographically, but I haven't had time to do any touch-ups yet.  It really was worth my time.

And.... that was the end of the clear skies for the day, until sunset.  As I headed down the rest of the Valley, the fog rolled in yet again, and there was a sign indicating "fog ahead, adjust speed according to the weather", and yes, drove across the top of the mountains with fog and cloud below and above and all around.  Shortly after coming through the fog, the rains started coming down heavy enough that I was glad I was on the mountain and not in the valley.  Everyone was slowing down and putting on their hazard lights, it was really hard to see.  Like a snowstorm.  Sort of.  And it didn't let up until I was almost in South Carolina.

Then the sun went down, the rain stopped, the roads were dry, the full moon came up, and it was about 22C.  So the sunroof opened up, the tunes went on, and the rest of the drive to Charleston was largely uneventful.  Except for almost running out of gas.  But I didn't, I probably could have driven another 8 - 10 miles before going completely dry.  (Phew)  The forecast here for the next two days is partly cloudy and high of 73 F, which to me sounds like it's time to stop for a day or two and take in the sights in this area.  I'll see what's on the nightside table...

Highlights of the day:
1. Driving through Staunton, VA, and see a whole bed of yellow pansies in full bloom, on Christmas Day.
2.  Interesting road names, like "Rockin Way" and "Possum Hollow".  For real.
3.  Several log cabins that appeared to be still habitable, and inhabited.